Limb splint



-Jan- 25 1955 v. B. MooDlE LIME SPLINT Filed Nov. 15, 1951 l E lim @Il ,-L,

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y www i 6 n; PV V 6 @1T 3 United States Patent LIMB SPLINT Virginia Boyle Moodie, Cedar Lake, Ind. Application November .15, 1951, Serial No. 256,466 z claims. (crussn The present invention relatesto a new and improved limb splint, particularly a leg splint.

In fracture cases all too frequently additional damage is done to the broken arm or leg between the time of the accident and before the patient can receive proper .medical attention in a hospital. Much of this aggravation of the injury arises from the lack of or improper emergency treatment at or near the scene of the accident. Many times the injured person himself is the inadvertent cause of the further injury as he tries to move about or writhes in pain. Sometimes this occurs while the patient is in the ambulance on the way to the hospital or even in the hosital.

p When a break injury is accompanied by a swelling or other bruising of the arm or leg which prevents immediately setting the broken bones and casting the injured member to immobilize it or placing it in traction, it is necessary that the patients member be held quiet until the swelling or the bruising has been reduced sufciently so that proper setting of the broken bones can be effected. During this time the patient is required to remain as quietly as possible, usually lying llat on his back in a hospital bed. It is now the practice, at least in some places, to brace or prop an injured leg in one position and to require the patient to stay in that one position. This is a strain on human patience and endurance and renders the patient quite uncomfortable.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a new and improved splint, particularly a leg splint which serves the need for both emergency splinting of the patients injured leg and to hold the leg in immobilized position while waiting for the fracture to be reduced and set.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved splint, particularly a leg splint, which is light in weight, is easily transported, is readily applied to an injured member, and substantially immobilizes the splinted member.

Another object is to provide a new and improved leg splint which when applied to the patients leg will elevate the foot thereof without additional propping.

A further object is to provide a new and improved leg splint which when applied to a patients leg will preventA him from twisting the leg or rocking it sidewardly thereby eliminating bulky uncomfortable and frequently not too effective bracing.

And still another object is to provide a new and improved leg splint which may be made of a lightweight material such as molded plastic, liberboard, pressed wood or the like and which incorporates means at the foot end thereof to elevate the patients foot and to prevent the patient from rocking his leg and foot sidewardly.

Another object is to provide an emergency splint which is light in weight, inexpensive to manufacture, and easily stored in an ambulance as permanent emergency equipment.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is an upper plan view of the improved leg splint of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the leg splint of the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of Figs. 1 and 2 looking in the direction of the arrow toward the foot end of the splint.

The splint of the present invention illustrated in the 2,700,383 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 drawing is indicated in general by the reference character 10 and includes a leg portion 12 and a foot portion 14. The leg portion comprises a base wall portion 16 which is substantially at on its inner face and bounded on either side by a pair of low upstanding walls 18 which are rounded into the bottom part 16 thereby forming a recess to receive the calf and back of the leg. The leg portion 12 may have any interior conliguration desired vbut in order that'the splint may be used on legs of different sizes, it is preferred that it have the shape shown in the drawing.

It will be observed from Fig. l that the leg portion 12 is narrower adjacent the foot and flares outwardly toward the uppper end thereof, terminating in a rounded part 20 with the walls 18 blending into the end in easy curves at 22. This makes the fabrication or manufacture of the splint easy, should it be made of molded material, such as plastic, and prevents the presentation of sharp edges which would cut into the patients leg. The leg portion of the splint may be made as long as desired, it being contemplated that there be a number of different sizes with each size coming in two types of splint, one type having the upper end extending to a point just below the knee for injuries to the foot and ankle, and the other size extending well above the knee for breaks in the bones of the lower leg and thigh.

The bottom wall 16 of the splint is thickened considerably at the foot end as seen in Fig. 2 so that when the splint is applied to an injured leg the foot of the patient will be propped or elevated above his knee, thereby providing a comfortable position.

The foot portion of the splint comprises a generally vertically extending wall 24 which is arranged at right angle to the inner surface of the base 16, and the wall 24 terminates at either side in a pair of inwardly directed shallow walls 26. It will be observed from Fig. l that the wall 24 is slightly concave, which has been found to provide a somewhat more comfortable brace for the foot of the patient.

The base 16 of the leg portion 12 is provided with a plurality of pairs of short longitudinal slots 28 to receive straps or strips of cloth with which the splint may be firmly bound to the patients injured leg. A plurality ot' these slots has been provided in the leg portion to permit of a maximum number of positions at which the splint may be bound to the injured member so that it will not be necessary to place a binding tape directly over the injured spot or directly over any spot which has been greatly bruised or is swelling so that the splint may be rmly secured without increasing the pain or aggravating the injury. y

Likewise, the foot portion 14 of the splint is formed with at least one pair of slots 30 for the reception of a strap of tape which would be wrapped over the top of the foot to secure the sole of the foot against the portion 14.

It has already been pointed out that the bottom of the leg portion 12 of the splint is thicker at the heel or foot end of the splint and tapers toward the upper end so that the foot of the patient may be elevated. lt will be observed from Figs. l and 2 that the foot end of the splint is formed with a pair of sidewardly extending wings 32. The wings 32 are somewhat wedge shaped and extend from the upper edge of the side walls 18 toward the back of the foot terminating in tips 36. The bottom edges 37 of the wings are coplanar with the bottom 33 of the base 16 so that a very rm at base is provided for the splint from the heel or foot end to the upper end. It will be clear that when the splint is rmly bound to the injured leg and the patient put into reclining position his foot will be elevated above the knee, and the patient will be unable to rock the splinted leg sidewardly because of the restraining effect of the wings 32.

It will be observed from the foregoing description of the improved leg splint of this invention that all of the objectives which were claimed for it at the outset of this specication have been obtained.

While a preferred embodiment of the leg splint constituting this invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that numerous modilications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. It is, therefore,

desired by the following, claims to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modications by which substantially the results of' this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

What` is claimed as new andV desired tov be secured'by United States Letters Patent is:

1` A leg splint for immobilizing a leg comprising in combination a leg portion and a foot portion integral therewith, said leg portion including a base wall tapering in thickness fromthe foot of the splint andv having an inner at surface adapted to support the calf of the'splinted leg, said foot portion including a wall arranged at substantially right angles to said at surface, and sidewardly extending means at said foot portion to inhibit sideward rocking of the splinted leg.

2. A one-piece leg splint for immobilizing a leg comprising in combination a leg portion and a foot portion integral therewith, said leg portion including a base wall tapering in thicknessl from the foot of the splint so that References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 194,800 Ahl Sept. 3, 1877 377,145 Caller Jan. 31, 1888 1,606,933 Fowler Nov. 16, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 724,556 France Jan. 29, 1932 OTHER REFERENCES 1889 Catalog of George Tiemann & Co., New York,

20 page 604. (Copy in Div. 55.) 

